Bit for bridles



Jan. 20, 1953 E. B. FLATT BIT FOR BRIDLES Filed Nov. '7, 1950 Inventor E lion 8. Flat! @waoiia WWW 3M5?! Patented Jan. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE 2,625,780: BIT FOR BRIDLES Elton B. Flatt, Ozona, Tex.

Application November 7, 1950, Serial No. 194,454

Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in bridles of the bitless type to dispense with the discomfort and other disadvantages of placing a bit in the animalsmouth, while at the same time providing novel means for checking or restraining horses which arehard to handle.

An important object of the invention is to provide a bitless bridle including a restraining device supported under the lower jaw of the animal by a nose strap and to which the reins are attached whereby pressure may be applied to the nose. of the animal as well as under the jaw to check unruly actions of the horse, and by means of Which the direction of the animal may be controlled.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which i efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and other- Wise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the nose strap with the restraining device attached thereto;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view on a reduced scale.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates the bridle generally which includes a forehead stra 6 having loops 1 and 8 adjacent each end and in which cheek and neck straps 9 and H] are respectively engaged.

A nose strap I I is attached to the lower ends of the cheek straps 9 by means of leather thongs, or the like, I2, the nose strap being constructed of substantially stifi rope or other suitable stiff material having its ends connected to each other under the lower jaw [3 of an animal by means of an adjustable rope clamp 14.

The rope clamp I4 comprises a body l5 having a pair of openings [6 in which the ends of the nose strap H are received and secured in adjusted positions in the openings l6 of the body by means of a U-shaped wire spring I! which is inserteddownwardly through openings IS in the top of the body to intersect the openings 16 and to bear against the neck strap l l.

The restraining device is shown generally at l9 and comprises a pair of rigid wire arms 29 having eyes 2! at their lower ends for attaching the reins 22 thereto, the arms diverging at their lower ends and united at their upper ends by an eye 23 which is attached to the neck strap iii by means of a lower head strap 24.

A metal loop 25 is welded in a hcrizontal position to the upper portion of arms 2% and projects outwardly at opposite sides of the arms to provide a pair of eyes 217 for receiving the, ends of the nose strap I l to support the restraining member l9 thereon.

A rigid bar 26, preferably of tubular metal, is welded to the upper portion of arms 26 in a transverse position immediately under eye 23 and is also welded to the loop 25. The bar 26 is positioned forwardly of the arms 2% and eye 23 and is held by the nose strap 23 immediately under or behind the lower jaw 13 of the animal.

In the operation of the device, the bridle is placed on the head of the horse in the manner as shown in Figure 1 and with the transverse bar 26 of the restraining device 19 positioned on the nose band ll behind the lower jaw l3. Rope clamp I5 is adjusted to hold the restraining device close against the lower jaw.

When the lower ends of arms 28 are pulled by the reins 22, the restraining device will rock on the nose band, causing the upper end of the device which carries bar 26 to swing forwardly to press against the lower jaw and to tighten the nose band. The pressure of the bar 26 induces the animal to lower its head and prevents throwing the head upwardly to thus effectively control unruly actions of the horse.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. A bitless bridle including a nose band adapted for extending across the nose and behind the lower jaw of an animal, and a restraining device supported on the rear portion of the nose band and comprising a pair of forwardly and rearwardly swingable vertical arms adapted for attaching reins to their lower ends, and a rigid bar carried by the arms adjacent their upper ends and supported by the nose band in a transverse position behind and in contact with the lower jaw of the animal to tighten the nose band when the reins are pulled.

2. A bitless bridle including a nose band adapted for extending across the nose and behind the lower jaw of an animal, and a restraining device supported on the rear portion of the nose band and comprising a pair of forwardly and rearwardly swingable vertical arms diverging at their lower ends and adapted for attaching reins thereto, and a rigid bar carried by the arms adjacent their upper ends and supported by the nose band in a transverse position behind and in contact with the lower jaw of the animal to tighten the nose band when the reins are pulled.

3. A bitless bridle including a nose band adapted for extending across the nose and behind the lower jaw of an animal, and a nose band tightening device comprising a pair of vertical arms diverging at their lower ends and united at their upper ends, eyes at the upper portion of the arms rockably connecting the arms to the rear portion of the nose band behind the lower jaw of the animal, said arms adapted for attaching reins to their lower ends to rock the arms by pulling on the reins, and a rigid cross-bar carried by the arms above their fulcrum point and bearing against the lower jaw of the animal to tighten the nose band.

4. A bitless bridle including a nose band and a neck band, said nose band being adapted to extend across the nose of an animal and behind the lower jaw, and a nose band tightening de- 4 vice comprising a pair of vertical arms carried by the rear portion of the nose band for forward and rearward swinging movement, a strap connecting the upper ends of the arms to the neck band, said arms being adapted for attaching reins to their lower ends, and a rigid cross bar carried by the arms above the nose band and bearing behind the lower jaw of the animal to tighten the nose band.

5. A bitless bridle including a nose band adapted for extending across the nose and also extending rearwardly behind the lower jaw of an animal, and a restraining device supported on the rearwardly extending portion of the nose band and comprising a pair of vertical forwardly and rearwardly swingable arms adapted for attaching reins to their lower ends, a guide loop fixed to the upper portion of said arms and in which'the rearwardly extending portion of the nose band is slidably adjustable, said arms extending upwardly above the rearwardly extending portion of the nose band, and a rigid bar fixed in a transverse position to the upper portion of said arms in front of the latter and above the rearwardly extending portion of the nose band and bearing behind the lower jaw of the animal to tighten the nose band by pulling force subjected to the reins.

ELTON B. FLATT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,188,309 Omoto June 20, 1916 1,333,474 De France Mar. 9, 1920 2,349,375 Ray May 23, 1944 2,572,517 Ratliff Oct. 23, 1951 

